Long Beach pays for officers’ bad moves: Opinion

On Super Bowl Sunday in 2011, Long Beach police responded to a loud-music complaint from the home of Perry Grays, then 26 years old, who was at home with his wife and infant child.

There were no cell-phone cameras to capture the incident, and it didn’t go viral on Twitter, so it’s not likely to get dredged up by the media again. But it should serve as a reminder that excessive force by those with a badge sets back community relations and deprives the city of precious resources.

Grays turned down the music that day but resisted the officers knocking at his door, asking for their name and badge number.

Police said he was combative and refused request to comply. They kicked, beat and shocked him with a Taser.

Grays’ attorney Brian Claypool also represented the family of Douglas Zerby. Long Beach police killed Zerby after mistaking for a gun a pistol-grip-styled water hose the 35-year-old held while standing on the porch. The jury awarded the family $6.5 million in damages. The city is appealing.

Last year, there were 15 officer-involved shootings, excluding accidental discharges and animal shootings. The figures represent a spike over past years.

There’s a lot to be proud of in the Long Beach Police Department. It has done an exceptional job helping to draw down crime in tough budget times, but these incidents show that officers on the ground need more help dealing with the tough job they have. Lives are at stake and a community depends on it.